Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose kicked off question period Thursday by mocking the Liberal’s “sunny ways” phrase, but rather than taking on one issue Ambrose lumped a whole series of criticisms into her opening remarks.

“In only 100 days, the prime minister has gone from sunny ways to a cloudy haze,” Ambrose began. She said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has created “complete incoherence” because he claims we’re fighting against ISIS but says it’s not a combat role, that we support Ukraine but want to normalize relations with Russia, and he wants to create jobs “but does nothing but spend billions of dollars he does not have.”

“How can Canadians have confidence in the direction of our country when the prime minister is so incoherent?”Ambrose said.

In Trudeau’s absence, innovation minister Navdeep Bains said former prime minister Paul Martin left the Conservatives with a $13 billion surplus that the Tories turned into a $150 billion debt.

Dominant topic

While the argument over whether the Conservatives left the Liberal government with a surplus or deficit was raised several times during QP, the discussion around legalizing marijuana took over the conversation.

Conservative member of Parliament Kellie Leitch observed that Health Canada has a number of anti-smoking campaigns, and now, “the government wants Canadian kids to have access to a drug to smoke – marijuana.”

The parliamentary secretary to the minister of health, Kamal Khera, said it is vitally important that those who need marijuana for medical use have access to it.

Conservative member of Parliament Rob Nicholson accused the government of “making a mess of the marijuana file.”

“In Vancouver, there are more pot shops then there are Starbucks, what is the Liberal plan to keep marijuana out of the hands of our children?” Nicholson asked.

Bill Blair, parliamentary secretary to the justice minister, quipped that he’s delighted to clear up some of the member’s confusion and “apparently this hazy fog that’s descended over members opposite.”

The way to protect children and prevent organized crime from selling marijuana, said Blair, a former Toronto police chief, is through strict regulation.

Most shamelessly politicized question and answer

Conservative member of Parliament Ed Fast said that as the government spends billions of dollars outside of Canada on the prime minister’s “vanity projects” hundreds of thousands of Canadians are losing their jobs at home and the environment minister’s plan is a carbon tax grab that will raise the price of everything.

Catherine McKenna, the environment minister, quoted former prime minister Stephen Harper’s advisor, Mark Cameron, who she suggested was pro carbon-tax. But part-way through her response, McKenna was interrupted by Speaker Geoff Regan, who reprimanded her for naming Harper in the House.

“There are former prime ministers we can mention by name, but not those who are still in this House,” said Regan.

McKenna began quoting Cameron, but ran out of time.

In an earlier response to criticism from the Conservatives over taxing carbon, McKenna quoted Preston Manning. She said Manning wholeheartedly supports carbon pricing.

Line of the day

Finance critic Lisa Raitt suggested Trudeau is going to use the federal credit card to help the Ontario Liberals and called Premier Kathleen Wynne “the prime minister’s bestie.”